The translucent pale blue flame bent slightly, as though nodding.
Song Zang visibly relaxed.
He sniffled and slowly walked out of the stall as though his entire body had gone weak, then carefully washed his hands.
Before the water droplets could be blown dry, the flame burned them away without leaving a trace.
A cozy warmth lingered around his fingertips, creating a rather peculiar sensation.
Song Zang’s sensitive fingers curled slightly. His ears reddened, and he clearly looked uncomfortable, but he said nothing.
After waiting outside for a while, he saw Qiu Shuang rush out first. Her expression looked wrong, and her lips were slightly pale.
“What happened?”
Qiu Shuang shook her head, wrapped an arm around Song Zang’s shoulders, and whispered, “Little Brother, be careful later. Some woman has gone insane. Her son was killed by the monster on the subway, and now she plans to take indiscriminate revenge.”
“H-How is she going to take revenge?” Song Zang widened his eyes in terror.
“Jing Jing and I heard her making a call inside a stall. She said she wanted to summon some kind of god. First, she needs to skin two children alive, hang their skins inside the airplane restroom, then use cow and sheep blood for the summoning! Holy shit, the people in this world are completely deranged.”
Hearing this, Song Zang’s face turned pale at precisely the right moment.
After hesitating briefly, he softly asked, “Where could she find cow and sheep blood?”
Qiu Shuang rubbed her stomach with one hand and pointed into the distance with the other. “Thank goodness none of us ate beef or lamb today. Look behind you!”
Song Zang turned around and followed the direction of her finger, only then noticing a restaurant on the second floor diagonally opposite them.
The restaurant was packed with customers, and its brightly illuminated sign read: 【Beef and Lamb Noodles and Rice Bowls】.
“Let’s tell Brother Xie. I don’t know what we should do either.” Song Zang looked frightened, helpless, and utterly incapable of making decisions.
Qiu Shuang nodded. Ignoring the other two women still inside the restroom, she boldly dragged Song Zang back with her while chattering along the way. “Little Brother, your personality will make it easy for people to take advantage of you once you enter society. Does anyone bully you at school? Don’t worry. Once we escape this shitty game, Big Sister will beat them all up for you.”
“No one… bullies me,” Song Zang answered obediently. “Sister Qiu, I’m twenty-two years old.”
“Wait, hold on. That makes me younger than you!” Qiu Shuang sucked in a sharp breath and stared at him in disbelief. “How is that possible? You still look like a high school student. Are you malnourished?”
“I’m very poor,” Song Zang continued answering obediently.
“That’s too tragic. Oh my god…” Qiu Shuang sighed deeply, then abruptly became excited again. “Never mind. What does age matter? So what if I decide to be your older sister? My family is rich enough to support you for the rest of your life. I guarantee you’ll have meat every day!”
“Thank you, Big Sister.” Ignoring the sudden burning sensation on his left wrist, Song Zang smiled faintly. “I haven’t eaten meat in three months.”
The restless pale blue flame froze. Its heat faded, and it stopped deliberately tormenting Song Zang.
The facts proved that his innocent, delicate face truly was perfect for acting pitiful.
Of course, Song Zang had not lied. He truly had not eaten meat in three months. He had fed all the nutritious food to his dog.
Song Zang did not know what the flame intended to do by clinging to him, but he could guide it slightly. Perhaps, when necessary, he could even make it serve as his bodyguard and hired muscle…
Even if doing so earned him no experience toward his Special Title, it did not matter.
After all, it was the one that had attached itself to him and refused to leave.
Song Zang curved his lips faintly and leisurely followed beside Qiu Shuang, continuing his campaign of acting pitiful.
By the time they returned near the boarding gate, Lin Wen Jing and Xiao Li Li had also come back one after another.
Without even turning his head, Song Zang keenly sensed a momentary flash of displeasure in Lin Wen Jing’s gaze as she looked at him. However, it quickly returned to calm.
Song Zang did not understand what her gaze meant.
In any case, none of these players were ordinary. Perhaps Lin Wen Jing had suddenly become deranged and wanted to kill him, only to abruptly decide against it for the time being.
Song Zang thought this because he had inferred from Xie Chun Ye’s attitude that humans capable of participating in the Infinite Game were either extremely powerful, extremely deranged, or exceptionally miserable…
The probability of three deranged women emerging from the same university dormitory was also far from ordinary.
Song Zang did not reveal his sensitivity to other people’s gazes. He lowered his eyes and quietly listened to the women chat and laugh.
Not long afterward, Xie Chun Ye returned from another direction and rejoined them.
He carried a large bag of soup dumplings and steamed buns in his left hand and two bowls of fried noodles in his right, adding a touch of everyday warmth to his normally distant demeanor.
Ning Si Si was eating a fried chicken leg and regarded the flour-based foods in his hands with disdain. Her eyes narrowed contentedly as the crispy fried chicken made her sway her head from side to side, her twin ponytails bobbing along with her.
“Brother Xie, we ran into an NPC in the restroom,” Qiu Shuang hurriedly reported the important matter first. “She wants to perform a blood sacrifice to bring her son back.”
“What does she look like?”
Lin Wen Jing quickly answered, “Her hair is very messy and distinctive. She’s wearing a brown printed short-sleeved shirt and carrying a black tote bag.”
“All right. If she tries to board the plane later, I’ll throw her off.”
Xie Chun Ye looked around but did not see the woman they described. Nevertheless, he agreed without hesitation.
He then set down the food and added, “Buy more food now, just in case. You should all stock up.”
Hearing this, Song Zang hurriedly said softly, “Brother Xie, I don’t have any money.”
“Oh, right. We have a pauper here.” Xie Chun Ye glanced at him. “Tell Qiu Shuang and the others what you want, and have them buy it for you.”
“Could I have Buldak noodles? The extremely spicy kind, with extra chili?” Song Zang’s eyes brightened. “I’ve never tried them before.”
“Uh… Are you sure you want to eat something insanely spicy during a life-or-death situation?” Xiao Li Li looked as though she had seen a ghost. “I always thought you were the weakest among us. I was wrong. I’m now in last place, and Song Zang is only the second weakest.”
Song Zang nodded. “Spicy food stimulates the brain and keeps you alert.”
“That makes sense!”
Qiu Shuang strongly agreed and immediately dragged Xiao Li Li to the convenience store to stock up on provisions.
When they returned, they were carrying an enormous pile of bags. They had everything from self-heating hotpots to all kinds of chips and snacks. Xiao Li Li was even enthusiastically eating from an entire bowl of self-heating spicy chicken skewers, despite having previously eaten a hamburger, steamed dumplings, and a bowl of noodles.
Qiu Shuang stuffed a bag of Buldak noodles and various meat snacks into Song Zang’s arms, opened a packet of chips for herself, then handed Lin Wen Jing a bottle of cheap red wine. “I heard rice doesn’t cook properly at high altitudes, so we’d better avoid rice and eat more cooked dishes.”
“That makes sense.” Lin Wen Jing smiled, picked up the bottle of red wine with its cork already removed, and leisurely drank two mouthfuls directly from it.
Clearly, the other two women had long since grown accustomed to her behavior and found it entirely commonplace.
But the problem was that they had only just escaped from a subway train swallowed by a sea of blood. An inexplicable explosion in appetite was one thing, but how could she even stomach red wine?
Song Zang widened his eyes slightly and mentally increased his assessment of Lin Wen Jing’s level of derangement.
Xie Chun Ye, meanwhile, frowned and turned to warn the curious Ning Si Si, “Children aren’t allowed to drink alcohol. Sister Lin is setting a bad example, so don’t copy her.”
“Oh…”
Ning Si Si only partially understood. At the same time, the airport announcement sounded.
Ding-dong—
“Flight DH444 from Tianhai Airport to Liuhe Airport will begin boarding shortly.”
Everyone exchanged glances, immediately packed up the food in their hands, and headed toward the boarding gate with their numerous bags.
Their passage through the gate was unobstructed because Qiu Shuang truly was wealthy. With one extravagant gesture, she upgraded everyone to first class, allowing them to board in advance.
The temporarily empty aircraft looked perfectly normal inside. Gentle music played soothingly, and a faint fragrance permeated the air.
The flight attendants also appeared normal, with no sign that they might suddenly erupt into madness.
First class contained two rows and eight seats in total, making the seating arrangements easy.
Xie Chun Ye sat with Ning Si Si, while Lin Wen Jing quietly took the seat beside Qiu Shuang.
Song Zang obediently walked to the back row and sat beside Xiao Li Li, whose presence was similarly faint. Each of them occupied two seats.
After they had stowed their luggage, the remaining passengers gradually boarded. No disturbance occurred throughout the entire process. In fact, everything was even more orderly than in the real world.
The environment was comfortable, but no one dared lower their guard. On the subway, the attendant had warned them of the rules beforehand, allowing them to avoid mortal danger. An airplane, however, was an entirely different matter.
One mistake, and there might not even be an opportunity to escape by parachute.
Unfortunately, the airport did not sell parachutes. Otherwise, Qiu Shuang would have eagerly purchased eight or ten.
Everything that followed proceeded unusually smoothly.
The middle-aged woman suspected of planning a blood sacrifice never appeared at the boarding gate.
Qiu Shuang carefully unfolded her blanket and confirmed that it carried no gamey or bloody odor. She also found no inexplicable bloodstains or marks before finally covering herself with it in satisfaction.
A beautiful flight attendant stood at the front with a warm smile and performed the customary safety demonstration.
Once the demonstration ended, the plane began taking off without incident.
Song Zang tilted his head and studied the scenery outside the window with intense concentration. He watched the plane accelerate continuously, then abruptly leave the ground amid a sensation of weightlessness. The cars and people below gradually shrank into tiny grains of rice.
His eyes were filled with novelty. He understood nothing and wanted to look at everything for a little longer.
This was not an act. He was genuinely a country bumpkin taking his first flight.
Song Zang possessed exceptional eyesight. As he gazed at the vast mountain ranges winding like a labyrinth, he could even distinguish the road the bus had traveled during the night.
The mountain road shrouded in clouds appeared both dark green and black. Despite the bright sunlight, an ominous aura faintly permeated it.
Xie Chun Ye appeared able to sense it as well. He immediately pulled down the window shade, firmly refusing to look outside a second time.
His increasingly cautious, survival-first behavior made Song Zang want to laugh.
The strange sensation of weightlessness gradually disappeared. Song Zang curled up in his seat, maintaining a restrained posture through his body language. He lightly bit his lip and reluctantly watched the mountains recede farther and farther from the plane.
Meanwhile, Xie Chun Ye’s inexplicable sense of unease continued to intensify.
Seeing that the flight attendants were temporarily nowhere nearby, he turned and warned everyone in a low voice, “I know how to fly a plane. If something happens later, cover me while I rush into the cockpit.”
The reason he had agreed to first-class seats from the beginning was precisely because they were closer to the cockpit.
Qiu Shuang looked surprised. “Brother Xie, how do you know how to do everything?”
Xie Chun Ye did not answer directly. Instead, he asked meaningfully, “Qiu Shuang, do you follow celebrities?”
“I do…” Qiu Shuang answered blankly.
“Have you heard the song Sea Moon that’s been popular lately?”
“Of course! I’ve played it on repeat hundreds of times.” Qiu Shuang’s eyes lit up. “Lu Xing You is an unparalleled genius—an invincible idol who can sing, dance, and compose!”
“The creator of that song is a player. He spent all his points purchasing various talents suited to becoming an idol,” Xie Chun Ye said, adjusting his glasses. “That’s why he became famous overnight and shocked the world.”
This was also why some players remained utterly fanatical despite knowing that failure in the game meant death.
Everyone had their own obsession, and with enough points, almost anything could be achieved.
Talent for composing, acting, studying… None of those were particularly remarkable.
Many so-called geniuses in the real world were actually counterfeits created by the Infinite Game.
“Even if he purchased his talent, he’s still impressive, isn’t he?” Lin Wen Jing smiled. “He willingly created beautiful music for this world, offered other musicians new inspiration, and brought happiness to countless people… even though he could lose his life at any moment.”
Qiu Shuang nodded vigorously in agreement. “Exactly! I don’t care where Xing You’s talent came from. As long as his performance skills don’t deteriorate and he keeps singing and dancing properly, I’ll happily keep spending money on him.”
“From that perspective, I suppose it does make sense.” Xie Chun Ye did not argue further and thoughtfully rubbed his chin.
“And since we’re already playing the game, once I use my points to become an even richer big shot, I can openly become friends with my idol!”
After hearing Xie Chun Ye reveal the secret, Qiu Shuang did not lose interest in her idol. Instead, her fighting spirit grew even stronger.
At that moment, however, Xie Chun Ye abruptly lowered his voice. “Survive first. We’re speaking a little too loudly.”
The moment he finished, footsteps sounded, and a flight attendant abruptly appeared from the front, pushing a service cart.
“Would anyone like beverages?”
Of course they would.
Qiu Shuang did not choose any drinks from the cart. Instead, she picked up the menu, ordered a bottle of wine for Lin Wen Jing, then requested brunch for all six of them.
The glasses, wine bottle, and steel cutlery provided only in first class could all be cleverly used as defensive weapons.
Beyond that, she had carefully remembered Song Zang’s and Xie Chun Ye’s dietary preferences and ordered something different for everyone, ranging from main courses to desserts.
Although they had clearly eaten a great deal already, the sight of the complete brunch sets swiftly delivered by the flight attendants caused an inexplicable hunger to rise simultaneously within everyone.
It was as though they had been starved for several days and desperately needed to stuff more food into their stomachs.
Xie Chun Ye frowned slightly. Despite feeling hungry for no reason, he instinctively remained cautious. “It isn’t mealtime yet. How did they prepare everything so quickly?”
“Could there be something wrong with the food?” Xiao Li Li stared eagerly at the sundae on her tray.
Hearing this, Xie Chun Ye adjusted his glasses, seemingly activating the ability he used to inspect unclean things.
However, he immediately froze because his entire field of vision was filled with filth, resembling the chaotic aftermath of an enormous swamp-gas explosion.
The entire cabin was saturated with a dense, ominous aura, making it impossible to distinguish where the source lay. He quickly released his hand and forced himself to stop looking.
If he continued, even his resistance might become eroded.
Song Zang noticed Xie Chun Ye’s abnormal reaction and immediately sniffled before volunteering to act as the poison tester.
He gave Xie Chun Ye no time to react. Lowering his head, he opened the butter, scooped some up with a knife, and expertly spread it over the toast. He paired it with fresh avocado and yogurt, then took a bite without hesitation.
Song Zang appeared refined, but in reality, he ate several times faster than anyone else.
Before the others could even see whether he had chewed, every item on the table had already entered Song Zang’s stomach.
After finishing, Song Zang’s eyes brightened slightly, and his voice rose with rare enthusiasm. “It’s delicious.”
Xie Chun Ye remained silent for a moment before asking with a frown, “Do you feel any discomfort?”
Song Zang shook his head, then nodded. After hesitating, he quietly answered, “The portion was too small. I’m not full.”
The moment he said this, Qiu Shuang’s maternal instincts overwhelmed her hunger. She directly carried her own tray over to him. “Then eat my portion too! Little Brother, you’re much too thin. You probably don’t absorb nutrients properly. Eat more, eat more.”
Song Zang appeared somewhat uncomfortable with Qiu Shuang’s generosity, yet silently accepted everything.
His face reddened as he picked up the knife and fork, first eating every raw and fresh item on the tray.
Qiu Shuang loved seafood, but she had already made her generous declaration. She could only watch longingly as Song Zang swallowed the caviar sushi she had wanted most.
Naturally, Song Zang was not acting without purpose.
He could eat a great deal, and he wanted to firmly establish his persona as poor, timid, and perpetually hungry. More importantly, however, some of the food genuinely seemed suspicious and smelled strange… He needed to swallow it personally before he could confirm the problem completely.
The fresh fish eggs burst easily between his teeth and slid down his throat, slowly continuing downward.
The instant they came into contact with stomach acid, they reacted as though fermenting or being activated by some special element. Countless fine tendrils and fleshy sprouts suddenly grew from them.
They were identical to the lively blood clots on the subway.
Song Zang’s face turned slightly pale. He drank the hot milk Qiu Shuang had ordered for him, mouthful after mouthful, seemingly attempting to soothe his upset stomach with it.
A dense prickling pain spread across his left wrist. The indecent creature had begun tormenting him again, seemingly trying to warn him, but Song Zang ignored it.
The hot milk had no effect. The fish eggs, now sprouting tendrils and limbs, gradually became more active. They grew freely within Song Zang’s body, evolving at a terrifying rate until they developed distorted faces that looked both human and piscine.
Gill-like organs grew along the sides of their faces, while their open mouths were filled with densely packed sharp teeth.
They attempted to bite several chunks of flesh from inside his body.
Song Zang lowered his eyes and pretended to remain entirely unaware of what was happening inside him, continuing to drink the milk.
The milk was actually very hot. Steam rose from the rim of the cup and brought a faint blush to Song Zang’s cheeks, lending him a rare touch of healthy color.
The indecent creature was nearly unable to remain still. Song Zang rubbed his wrist and discreetly swept his gaze around, confirming that there were no major problems with the other foods.
At the very least, none of them possessed the possibility of “returning from the dead.”
Every abnormal sensation came from the caviar. It looked beautifully appetizing, elegantly arranged with red sauce around the plate, yet it contained not the slightest trace of actual fish roe.
It was coagulated blood deliberately processed to resemble caviar.
Based on Song Zang’s many years of experience, he recognized the smell immediately.
It was human blood.
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